World News - Poll: Iraq, politicians top Americans' concerns Political scandal and war cited far ahead of economy

Economic worries have decreased over the last six months as the American public has shifted its concern more to the war in Iraq and problems faced by political leaders, AP-Ipsos polling found.The economy has been showing signs of strength in recent months. But the violence in Iraq has continued, before and after the latest round of elections in mid-December. And high-profile politicians in this country have been ensnared by scandal.When people were asked in an open-ended question to name the nation’s top problem, 25 percent named war, close to the level in October, but up from 19 percent in July. Within the war responses, 15 percentage points were specifically tied to Iraq, and 9 percentage points to wars and unrest worldwide. ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com

About 2,000 people gathered in the main square of Mongolia's capital on Mon, demanding their president resign. The Mongolian United Movement, an alliance of three civic movements that have been calling for political reform in this vast nation, organized the protest. "Dawn has broken in Mongolia. We are getting poorer everyday and corrupt officials are getting richer. Now is the time to take action," a leaflet distributed by the rally organizers said. The crowd cheered when protest leaders called for the resignation of President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, calling him "the father of corruption." On Sunday, Mongolia's biggest political party appealed to other parties to help it form a new government. The country has been thrown into political turmoil since the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party withdrew from the ruling coalition last week. The party says Elbegdorj, a former democracy activist, has not done enough to fight corruption and poverty in this former Soviet satellite...http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1509505&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

Israel yielded to American pressure yesterday and agreed to let East Jerusalem Arabs vote in the Palestinian parliamentary elections on 25 January. But ministers barred Hamas from campaigning in the disputed city. Within hours, police arrested Sheikh Mohammed Abu Tir, the number two man on the Hamas list, and two other candidates when they tried to hold a press conference near the al-Aqsa mosque compound. Two organisers were also detained.Earlier, Sheikh Abu Tir, a graduate of Israeli prisons with a vivid spade of a dyed red beard, claimed in an interview with the Israeli daily Ha'aretz that Hamas's participation in the elections represented a major shift to democratic politics.Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, had threatened to postpone the elections if Jerusalem Arabs were not allowed to vote....http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article338841.ece

German Chancellor Angela Merkel goes to Moscow today to meet with President Vladimir Putin, on a visit that may signal a cooling of the close ties the Russian leader enjoyed with her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder. Christian Democrat Merkel, who met President George W. Bush in Washington three days ago, plans only a six-hour stay for her first official visit to the Russian capital. It's a strictly business trip, contrasting with the regular meetings between Schroeder and Putin that included stays at each other's homes. Schroeder, a Social Democrat, called that relationship a ``strategic partnership.'' By contrast, ``the distrust may be mutual'' between Merkel and Putin, said Hannes Adomeit, an analyst at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, in an interview. ``Democracy for Putin is a case of taking one step forward and two back. This is deeply troubling'' to the new government. ...http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=agyEgvR_nviM&refer=home

The number of U.S. troops wounded in Iraq fell by more than a quarter in 2005 from a year earlier, Pentagon records show. Military officials call that a sign that insurgent attacks have declined in the face of elections and stronger Iraqi security forces. The number of wounded dropped from 7,990 in 2004 to 5,939, according to the Defense Department. There hasn't been much change in the number of deaths, however. Pentagon figures show 844 U.S. troops were killed in the Iraq war during 2005, compared with 845 in 2004. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has announced plans to cut the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to about 130,000, down from about 160,000 for last month's elections. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said he's optimistic that security in Iraq will continue to improve and more U.S. forces could leave. ...http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-15-wounded-troops_x.htm?csp=34

Former CBS anchor Walter Cronkite, whose 1968 conclusion that the Vietnam War was unwinnable keenly influenced public opinion then, said Sunday he'd say the same thing today about Iraq."It's my belief that we should get out now," Cronkite said in a meeting with reporters.Now 89, the television journalist once known as "the most trusted man in America" has been off the "CBS Evening News" for nearly a quarter-century. He's still a CBS News employee, although he does little for them.Cronkite said one of his proudest moments came at the end of a 1968 documentary he made following a visit to Vietnam during the Tet offensive. Urged by his boss to briefly set aside his objectivity to give his view of the situation, Cronkite said the war was unwinnable and that the U.S. should exit.Then-President Lyndon Johnson reportedly told a White House aide after that, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America."...http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/13634392.htm